The recent surge in the user of personal home computers having inputs controlled by actuating mouse buttons or mouse movements is well known. In most cases these mouse units are moved along the upper surfaces of supporting pads located either to the user""s right or left, depending on whether a person is right or left handed, which pads are in turn supported by an underlying platform such as used to support the keyboard input. Such keyboard platforms supports may also be the top surface of a desk on which the keyboard and computer rest. When it is desired to conceal the platform when not in use, the platform be may mounted on depending table side rails that extended from under the overhead desk surface or retracted under it on the rails. All such mouse and keyboard supporting surfaces are known.
When there is no specifically designed computer mouse supporting surface, the user must either place the mouse/pad on the computer desk or a nearby supporting table, desk, etc. if such is readily available. With the present invention the mouse and pad are supported on the arm rest of the user""s chair such their support surface may be moved to a user""s position or moved to a different non-use position out of the way as further described herein.
Computer mouse supports are known. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,845 to Moore the supporting surface has a rear end in an upwardly inclined orientation with a wrist/palm support in cooperation with the forward end. The invention to O""Brien et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,311,210) discloses an ergonomic keyboard and operator""s chair having a pair of adjustable arm with half of a standard QWERTY keyboard on each armrest. The swing arm chair in the Dearing et al. invention (U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,710) describes a writing table positioned next to a chair""s arm that can be moved from a working horizontal position to a vertical fold down storage position next to the armrest. And in U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,061 to Dickie a mouse pad apparatus having a molded base, a pad and a cord retainer is disclosed. In contrast to these prior art references and the known prior art, the present invention provides for a mouse and pad supporting structure that is removably mounted on the armrest of a chair to permit its attachment to either the right or left armrest all as more further set forth in this specification.
This invention relates to a removable support platform for a chair""s armrest on which a mouse and its pad may be placed. To attached the platform to the armrest, the platform extension oriented parallel to the armrest has one or two spaced straps that can encircle the chairs arm and be fixed thereon. The strap or straps each may have hook and loop (VELCRO(trademark)) ends or the like. Screws or other strap retainers extend into the strap through the platform""s extension member to fix the members together.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide for an improved removably armrest mounted supporting apparatus for a computer mouse and its pad.
Another object is to provide for such an apparatus wherein the platform may have a variety of armrest retaining members.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to readers from a consideration of the ensuing description and the accompanying drawings.